I have an opportunity to move to a higher position at work and am facing a dilemma. Right now I do a little of both of these jobs, though I'm more focused on programming (which I really love doing). One of these jobs is more programming-oriented while the other is more process-oriented. The systems analyst job actually pays more, though there is not going to be much programming involved (if any). At the same time, the duties involved are still interesting to me (I love programming but I also love process-improvement). I guess I'd like to get some opinions from you guys who may have been in one or either of these roles. I worry that the Systems Analyst may be a little more "people skills" than I'd like. Then again, it is more of a "big picture" type job and the higher pay would be great. I have listed the qualifications/duties paragraphs from the job postings. If you don't know anything about GIS, just try to ignore all the buzzwords and take out the relevant info. Thanks

(P.S. I'm trying to develop a "pros and cons" list for each position and pick the one that comes out on top. Also, have a B.A. in Public Administration and am starting an M.S. in Software Engineering in the Fall.)


Programmer Analyst:

Experience with GIS application and database design, programming, and support using ESRI products (ArcIMS, ArcSDE, ArcGIS, ArcObjects). Web application server, database server configuration and system administration in an enterprise environment. Project management and/or team leadership experience with strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills. Experience with systems integration. Experience with Oracle 9i and above, .NET, ASP, JSP, VB/VBA, C#.

Summary: This position provides systems analysis, process analysis, application and database programming and support for the Geographic Information System (GIS) and requires knowledge and experience with GIS software, programming, data structures, and system administration. The primary responsibilities of this position are to manage the group's GIS applications, analyze business systems, processes, and user needs and work with GIS staff, programmers, and technical staff to design and implement solutions to meet business requirements. Other duties include technical documentation of systems and processes, training users of GIS applications, GIS analysis projects, and data processing activities.



Systems Analyst:

Experience designing and implementing GIS data development, maintenance, and quality control processes in a production multi-user editing environment using ESRI products (ArcGIS, ArcSDE). Project management and/or team leadership experience with strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills. Experience with systems integration. Experience with Oracle8i and above.

This position provides business systems process analysis and design for the Geographic Information System (GIS). Requires knowledge and experience with GIS software, data structures, and spatial analysis techniques. Will provide leadership in development of GIS production processes, applications, databases, products, services and spatial analysis projects. Responsible for project management, customer interaction to develop requirements, technical documentation, user training, and hardware and software support.